


Between a rock and

by ukenceto



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Claustrophobia, Gen, Humor, aka noct stuffs things in the armiger that have no place being there, inappropriate use of kingly magic, puns, slight vibe of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-28
Updated: 2018-03-28
Packaged: 2019-04-14 07:08:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14130765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ukenceto/pseuds/ukenceto
Summary: "Gladio + non-sexy stuck in a wall trope"





	Between a rock and

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know why, but this prompt called to me. Enjoy!

 

 

__________________________________

 

“Gladio, you coming or what?”

Noctis turned back towards the narrow passage they’d just passed through, surprised not to hear any footsteps right behind him. Gladio was usually quick to keep their six, especially while they explored the vast caves which always offered too many dark corners where daemons used to hide, ready to pounce on the unwary traveler.

A grunt reached his ears, amplified by the cave’s high ceiling, and soon followed by Gladio’s words.

  
“Just a moment, _princess_. We’re not all as scrawny as you are.”

Hands on his hips, Noctis considered walking off simply in spite of Gladio’s teasing; but one glance at Ignis told him they didn’t need to take any more chances today. A while back they’d fought a rather unpleasant Naga, and everyone had well more than their fair share of being roughened up for one day, _thankyouverymuch._

So he waited, absentmindedly aware that Prompto’s teeth were chattering. It was quite cold in the cave, and once the adrenaline from the fight had subsided, Noctis himself was starting to feel the chill a lot more acutely. They’d all agreed it was time to make it back to camp, hopefully be out of the place before nightfall.

Tapping his foot in vain attempt to make it stop shivering as much, and get at least some of the tension out of his lower back, Noctis glanced at the narrow crack in the rock face. It couldn’t even be called a path, and it was tight enough that even he had to hold his breath as moved through it earlier. Slowly, he started to consider if taking this alternative way back was going to be quicker after all, as it seemed he’d failed to take the perspective of the largest man in the group.

  
Who was still, very much not showing up.

“Gladio, is everything quite alright?” This time, it was Ignis who spoke up, his tone carefully void of any impatience.

“Yeah—I—“ Another grunt, this time followed by a sigh and some shuffling of fabric. “Ok, maybe not. I think… I’m stuck.” Gladio admitted resignedly.

“If you absolutely cannot come forth, then we shall return. Go back, and we’ll come in a moment.” Ignis adjusted his glasses, shooting a glance at Prompto, who had begun to make a noise of exasperation.

“That’s the thing. I can’t move neither forward, nor back. Bloody rock’s got me pressed up really tight.” True to his words, Gladio’s breathing was coming short, making him sound a lot like he did after a long training session.

“Lose the jacket, the leather could be sticking to the wall.” Noctis added after a moment, thinking of how his own pants had nearly frozen on contact with the ice.

“I tried. Not really making things any better, and this rock cuts like it’s made outta bloody glass.”

“Perhaps if one of us was to try and pull you through?” Ignis wondered, taking a step closer to the gap. “Or Noct could warp to the other side and try to help you from there. At least the way in must have been wide enough to let you through this far.”

“He could try.” Sighing again, Gladio thumped his head back on the wall, frowning at the discomfort of his current position. “Though I don’t think there’s much of a room to swing a sword here, so go easy with the warping.”

“Gotcha.” The faintest sound of static later, and Noctis found himself back between the cold rock, this time on Gladio’s other side. It really was a tight fit, and only years of practicing his warping abilities had allowed him to move in that spot with such precision.

They spent the next five minutes trying and failing to dislodge Gladio’s chest from in-between two protrusions in the rock, and if the reddening skin on the shield’s chest was any indication, their efforts proved not only valiant, but risky as well.

“Forget it. At this point I’d bleed out and get even more stuck. Just my luck…” If there’d been space for it, Gladio would’ve probably hit the wall with his fist, but being as it were, all he could do was grind his teeth and try to relax the tension in his muscles enough so that maybe his body would slip though as it had on the way in.

“Maybe we could… Slick things up with something?” Prompto’s uncertain voice reached their ears with a slight echo, but they both stopped to actually consider the suggestion.

“Do you have anything in mind which would aid us with that?” Ignis asked, and Gladio could see the light from his flashlight reflecting around the rock as he paced around.

“Um, dunno… Weapon grease? We sure have enough of that, with my guns and Gladio’s sword…”

“But that’s all the way in the Regalia’s trunk, blondie. Unless you’re volunteering in going all the way out to get it?” Gladio snapped, though without any real malice.

“Separating now would be unwise.” Ignis said, though his steps paused for a moment. “Even if I were to go with Prompto, that would mean leaving you and Noct in a vulnerable position here. However…”

“Spit it out, Specs. We have to do something before Gladio here turns into a giant popsicle.” Noctis added.

“Ah, that’s it—“ _The_ finger-snap sounded through the cave.

“Iggy, is now really the best time for this—“ Gladio rolled his eyes, wondering what did he do to deserve a day such as that. Not only he nearly got a nasty poison status effect from the Naga spitting venom all around them earlier, but now this. All he wanted was a roaming fire and a cup of hot noodles, but it seemed like fate was out of his favor.

“I was simply going to say, that a good kitchen tool which prevents all and any sticking situations, is the cooking spray. A light sheen of just the right amount of oil – and not a chance to ruin pans, even in campsite conditions. If we were to have a can of that on hand, it would be the perfect solution.”

“Well, unless you decided to pack one in the first aid kit, I don’t see how that observation would help us right now.” Patience was a virtue, but Gladio was getting too tired and uncomfortable to bear much of that at the moment.

“He hasn’t, but I did.” This time it was Noctis who spoke, sounding oddly uncertain, surprising the rest of them. “I kind of shove grocery stuff into the Armiger now and then, uh, when I don’t feel like making the trip to the car… I do put them in the cooking bag later, but I might have one or two items still laying around there… And it’s not like they can spoil in it anyways.”

If he’d been able to turn his head, Gladio was sure he would’ve seen a defiant look on Noct’s face. The question at the tip of his tongue about whether or not it was truly about sparing himself an extra trip, or had something to do with the mysteriously disappearing vegetables Ignis kept complaining about, was all but forgotten when a small flash of light shone next to him.

“Ignis… How do I use this exactly?” Noctis was looking at the can in his hand, the plastic cap still unopened.

“Just shake it up really well, and spray from up close. If he was a dish, I’d recommend a distance from at least several inches, but the situation calls for a more drastic approach.”

Gladio could swear he heard the moment Ignis adjusted his glasses, though again, he chose to remain silent and let himself be thoroughly sprayed over like a meat about to be roasted. The bottle had a small plastic tube attached to it, which helped Noctis reach even the front of his stomach and chest, and Gladio bit his lip as he felt a tickle from the droplets of oil which ran over his skin. It stung against the scraped flesh and he was definitely not looking forth to seeing how bad it would look once he was out.

And miraculously, he actually managed to dislodge himself this time, the oil allowing just enough give so that he could move back through the path he’d come from, grunting each time the rock scraped further against his skin.

Resting his hands on his knees, he took deep breaths, finally out of the constricting spot. He wasn’t about to admit it in front of the others, but he’d definitely began to feel strings of claustrophobia for a moment there, stuck between the freezing, unyielding rock which would not bend neither to his will nor strength.

He looked up as a hand rested on his shoulder, realizing that Ignis and Prompto had already passed through as well.

“I insist you take this, Gladio. There’s no need for the rest of this journey to be any more unpleasant than it had been so far.” Ignis was pushing a potion bottle in his hand, a stern look on his face.

Gladio was about to dismiss his worries, after all his injury was hardly anything more than skin-deep, but looking down at himself, he reconsidered. They had enough potions to spare, and the red welts crisscrossing all over his torso were already starting to swell, and he doubted they’d warrant him a good night’s sleep in that condition.

“Yeah man, who knows what kind of stuff is on these walls…” Prompto added, bundled in a spare jacket that Noctis must’ve pulled out of the Armiger as well.

“Pff, like what exactly? We’re in the middle of nowhere.” Noctis said in a light voice, though Gladio caught him looking in his direction with a slight frown, the only visible sign of his worry.

“Uh, demon guts and whatnot? Dunno, they don’t sound appetizing, cooking spray or not.” Prompto grinned, already making light of the situation.

Crushing the potion bottle in hand, Gladio stared at him, unimpressed.

“I swear, if either of you writes that down as a recipe, I will fill your sleeping bags with pine cones.” The potion’s effect was quick, already warming him up, but he raised an eyebrow threateningly nonetheless.

“Now, as they say, _oil’s well that ends well_ … so it is time for us to get going.” Ignis made it about four steps forth before he heard Prompto’s muffled squeak behind him. It was followed by Noctis’ attempt to keep quiet, which failed spectacularly as he let out a fit of giggles, holding his stomach.

Ducking down by sheer instinct, Ignis watched as the can of cooking oil that Gladio had tossed in his direction bounced off into the darkness and slid away into some unknown corner, likely to never see the light of day again.

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
